Heretofore, sudden cardiac death caused by ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest, was the major cause of death among the adult population in developed countries. Ventricular fibrillation can be halted and normal heart activity restored, by the electrical defibrillation procedure, comprising an electric shock applied to the heart. Similarly, heart arrest can be treated by pacing electrical signals, that is, a pulse train, at the rate of 60-80 pulses per minute. The defibrillation procedure is usually effective when applied in intensive care units in hospitals, where a state of fibrillation is easily detected and treatment is quickly applied. Hospital intensive care units are usually equipped with expensive defibrillation equipment, along with professional personnel who are able to perform the treatment.
The above considerations also apply to the state of heart arrest and the use of an external pacemaker device. Thus, while the description of the present invention relates to defibrillators, it should be understood that it is also meant to include pacemaker systems.
It is of paramount importance that a defibrillation procedure be done immediately; otherwise, irreversible, irreparable damage is caused. The patient's brain is be damaged within minutes of the start of fibrillation, due to a lack of oxygen supply, and all other organs will stop functioning. Early defibrillation restores cardiac function and spontaneous respiration, avoiding anoxic brain damage. In addition, there is a clear linkage between the elapsed time between the beginning of ventricular fibrillation, the beginning of the defibrillation procedure, and the procedure's success.
The majority of potential fibrillation victims live at home, however, and are not under constant medical supervision. This is even more so with the modern trend towards treatment of patients at home. These people cannot be given immediate defibrillation treatment, for several reasons:    1) From the moment that the victim of ventricular fibrillation loses consciousness, it will take at least from 10-20 minutes until the mobile care unit reaches him. Therefore, in such cases defibrillation is usually not successful and irreversible cardiac damage is caused; if the patient survives, he will remain in coma with permanent brain damage.    2) Presently used defibrillation equipment is expensive, costing in the range of thousands of dollars. The majority of the people cannot afford to include such equipment as part of their home first aid kits.    3) Much of the presently used defibrillation equipment must be operated by professional, trained medical personnel, who diagnose the case as fibrillation, find the right equipment, and use it correctly to apply electric shock at the proper location. Non-professional people are unfamiliar with such equipment; and moreover, they tend to panic and be ineffective in an emergency situation. Therefore, family members and neighbors usually cannot be relied upon to perform defibrillation treatment.    4) The defibrillation equipment has to be kept in good operating condition so that it will be ready for use in an emergency. Hospital maintenance teams routinely keep all equipment in good condition and perform required periodical tests and repairs. It is difficult, however, to keep complex defibrillation equipment in good condition at home and to do the required testing and repairs.    5) Defibrillation equipment may be dangerous if misused. High voltages generated by the equipment can endanger its operators, children, or other non-professionals. The existing equipment lacks the safety devices which are required for home use.